Statement Concerning Murata

About 10 August at 1000, Ohno told Murata he heard all Prisoners of Western Army HQs were to be taken to Aburayarna and be executed there that day. He asked Murata to attend and said that the Probationary Officers of the suicide unit were to carry out the execution. Murata declined to go.

Twenty minutes later, curious, Murata went to the Air Defense building and saw the prisoners surrounded the suicide unit Probationary Officers. A truck left by the back gate with about twenty persons on it. About 1300, Ohno and Wako came in to the old Legal Section office and Ohno told Murata a member of the 6th Japanese Air Force had been executed that morning at Aburayama for burning an airplane and because of this Wako was at Aburayama as a witness. Ohno stated Wako also witnessed the execution of the flyers and returned with him to Fukuoka. Wako then said that there was another execution of flyers at Aburayama, neither "felt well". Ohno said he had been an executioner; Wako said that Ohno was very poor. Yoshida then came in and stated he attended the execution at Aburayarna that morning.

Yoshida believed that the executioner had permission of the Commanding General, but he did not know.

15 August execution: About 1600, 15 August, at Fukuoka HQs. Wako told Murata that the remaining plane crash survivors were to be beheaded at Aburayama that day; said the bodies were to be cremated there and that he was thinking of disinterring the bodies of the 20 June execution and cremating them and that he had arranged with the Adjutant for such. The accused went with Wako at Wako's request. Wako ordered the detention barracks guard to dig up the bodies and then went to Aburayama where the bodies of those executed on 10 August were dug up, some 7 or 8. Also about 15 bodies of those executed on 15 August were dug up.

A Sergeant said that 2nd Lieutenant Nakamura was in charge of the crematorium. At Wako's request Murata accompanied the truck that turned over the bodies to the crematorium. 31 or 32 bodies were turned over. Wako told Murata to instruct Nakamura to gather part of the ashes of 16 prisoners to bury in a military cemetary at Rokuponmatsu at Fukuoka City, since 16 had been reported to the War Department as killed in an air raid. About 1900 the bodies were prepared for cremation and Murata observed the flames from the cremation and left. The next morning at 0500 Murata returned to Aburayama at which time all the bodies had been cremated and there wag one large box and one small box.

Nakamura and Murata took a bone from each of the 16 and put them in a small wooden box. The rest of the ashes were put in a large box and left in a straw sack. They then stopped at Rokuponmatsu and the small box at the highest part of the cemetary and arrived at Fukuoka at 1000. Nakamura told by the Adjutant Section to leave the large box and sack at the detention barracks.